Renoir (2012)
Cast includes: Michel Bouquet (The Unfaithful Wife), Christa Theret (LOL (Laughing Out Loud) ®), Vincent Rottiers (I’m Glad My Mother Is Alive)
Writer/Director: Gilles Bourdos (Afterwards)
Genre: Drama (111 minutes) French with subtitles
Even though there’s a war raging in Europe, you’d hardly know it in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, 1915. That’s when Andrée comes to the house looking for a job. “Is this where Renoir lives? Mrs. Renoir sent me.” They know it’s a lie because Mrs. Renoir is dead, but the kitchen maids send her out to the atelier, where she finds the old man. “My wife sent you?” Turns out that Andrée is an actress, and when Mrs. Renoir noticed her, she knew the yummy redhead would be perfect as her husband’s new model. “You’re a girl from nowhere, sent by my dead wife… I think we can work together.” When Andrée asks what she should do, Renoir wants her to do whatever she feels like doing. “You don’t mind if I move?” “If I minded,” he says, “I’d paint apples.” What interests Renoir is “skin… of very young girls.”
In the meantime, Renoir’s home is abuzz with domestic life… several unexplained children and a harem of maids… some of whom also model for Renoir. Renoir’s son Coco likes to say he’s an orphan because his mother has died and his father isn’t very fatherly towards the 11-year-old. There are two other sons who are missing because of the “blasted war.” Pierre’s an actor, too, but Renoir tells Andrée, “It’s not an honest profession.” “Are you always so grumpy?” she asks. Renoir has a lot of reasons to be grumpy. His painful arthritis has almost crippled him entirely… he needs help with absolutely everything. But he insists, “Pain passes. Beauty remains.” Even though he doesn’t have the same technical skill he once had, he makes the most of it.
It’s a happy day when the visitor coming up the drive turns out to be Renoir’s son Jean, home from the war on medical leave… and hopefully, for good. Like his father, Jean also appreciates beauty, and it isn’t long before Andrée catches his eye. Although Andrée is obviously attracted to Jean, she’s also thinking of what comes next for her. She has dreams of going back to acting… this time in films, and she hopes Jean will help her make that dream come true.
The delicious cinematography is the most outstanding aspect of this movie. They have captured a world that’s as inviting as a Renoir painting. But if you’re looking for a gripping story, this one doesn’t deliver. There are several points when we have the feeling that a plot line is coming together, but it usually goes a bit flat. One wonders if the most interesting story doesn’t happen after the movie ends. In real life, Jean and Andrée do marry and make some silent films together. Although Andrée’s career stalls, Jean Renoir becomes a critically acclaimed filmmaker in both France and Hollywood, and their son Jacque has writing credits on this film. Even though Renoir wanted his sons to do “honest work… with their hands,” all three went on to work in the film industry. On the other hand, Renoir always said… “You’ve got to seize everything life has to offer.”
2 popped kernels
While WWI rages in Europe, Renoir’s home on the French Riviera is a place of light and beauty… with a lovely new model and a son home on medical leave
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Nudity)
Audience: Grown-ups
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: In no hurry
Visual Style: Nicely varnished realism
Character Development: Not so engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Informative
